The weird rule Prince George followed that Prince Louis hasn't had to
Watch: George, Charlotte and Louis join parents at the panto
As members of the Royal Family, it’s no surprise that there are certain rules and protocols that Prince George and his siblings have to follow, even though they are young.
But Prince Louis, the youngest of the Cambridge children, seems to be avoiding having to follow one of the rules that his older brother George had to keep.
It’s also a rule that his father Prince William and his uncle, Prince Harry, followed when they were young.
When Prince George was a toddler, he was very rarely seen in trousers. He was mostly dressed in shorts, with long socks if it was cold.
But Louis, who is two, was able to wear trousers on the red carpet at the panto with his family, and in the official Christmas card photograph released by Prince William and Kate.
Read more: Prince William and Prince Charles share photos that will be on their 2020 Christmas cards
Prince George made a few public appearances when he was a toddler, even accompanying his parents on royal tours to Canada and Australia.
At his sister’s christening in 2015, he wore red shorts and a white shirt, a combination reminiscent of an outfit his father, Prince William, had worn when he was a child.
Many of his appearances were during the summer months, which is part of the explanation for shorts over trousers, but even in the winter he was often seen in shorts.
To keep his legs warms, he would have long socks paired with them.
Read more: Queen suffers video outage during virtual engagement: 'You all just disappeared'
On Christmas Day in 2016, when the Cambridges spent the festive season with Kate’s parents, George was photographed leaving the church in Bucklebury with his mum and dad.
Despite the December temperatures, he wore shorts and socks underneath his frock coat.
In Canada, on tour with his parents and sister, he wore shorts and socks, with any cold temperatures combated by a long sleeve jumper.
Read more: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge surprise key workers' children with presents at panto
George, who is now seven, appeared to follow his father and uncle’s footsteps with his wardrobe.
William was often dressed in shorts as a child, as was Harry, including matching yellow shorts and white tops in Aberdeen in 1986.
As he got older, William was allowed to move to wearing trousers, but younger brother Harry stuck with shorts.
One photo shows the brothers with their parents, Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, at a wedding in May 1989. William, then six, nearly seven, was in trousers, while Harry, still four, was in shorts and socks.
Etiquette expert William Hanson previously explained to Harper’s Bazaar that wearing shorts is a class marker, as upper class boys usually graduate to trousers from shorts at about age eight.
He said: “It's a very English thing to dress a young boy in shorts. Trousers are for older boys and men, whereas shorts on young boys is one of those silent class markers that we have in England.
“Although times are (slowly) changing, a pair of trousers on a young boy is considered quite middle class – quite suburban.”
It’s not clear why there is a change for the Cambridges as Louis grows up. With the exception of the panto red carpet, many of the situations in which Louis has worn trousers have been more relaxed, family affairs, indicating they could prefer a more casual approach to the protocol at home.
Or maybe little Louis is just being spared the cold.
Watch: Royals release candid Christmas card family pictures
